Exclusive Cristoph interview

We sat down with Cristoph before the event on 25th of September - Sonny Fodera presets: Cristoph, Franky Rizardo + more 

Firstly, thank you Cristoph for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Ah don't be daft, thanks for the interview….

Who were your influences as a child that made you want to pursue a career in the music industry?

Both my Dad and Brother were DJ's so they both definitely played a roll in influencing me to pursue a career in the music industry. My brother introduced me to Chicago House and Detroit Techno and I was instantly hooked. I loved listening to Masters At Work back then, both their productions and DJ sets were amazing. My brother used to make me mixtapes with all this music on and I used to listen to them non stop.

You first launched your music career with Progressive house, what made you want to transition?

Yeah I released my first Progressive House record about 4 years ago. I was, and still am a huge fan of Eric Prydz so I tried to make a similar style of music. However my heart wasn't fully in it and to be honest I don't think I could make a record anywhere near as good as his stuff and that kind of pulled me down. I decided to just write what I felt and go back to my roots. I started enjoying producing so much more when I made that move and writing tracks came easier to me the more I was enjoying it. I knew it was the right move there and then.

Since your cross over two- years ago, your name is on the tip of everyones tongue. How does it feel to have gained such recognition in such a short period of time?

In all honesty I try not to think about it or pay attention to it. I hear things and lock them away in my head. It actually gives me more determination to reach the goals I have set myself and makes me work harder. There are so many talented producers out there that all it takes is for me to become lazy or take my eye off the ball sort of speak and I'l be forgotten about in an instant. Its so surreal having my heroes mention my name or play one of my records and I can't thank them all enough for the support they have given me.

The Geordie house/ tech- house music scene isn't as talked about as London and other cities. Could you tell us more?

 I personally believe it's because Newcastle is more of a 'party city'. The student population is huge as is the influx of Stag and Hen parties each weekend and they aren't always the best basis for an underground House & Techno night. This being said there are still some unbelievable producers to come out of the city such as Richy Ahmed, Mark Jenkyns and Patrick Topping, as well as some amazing nights such as Shindig, Loop and Motion.

From when your began you DJ career, how would you describe the change that music is making? And what is your opinion on it?

I think a lot of people are torn on this. Years ago music production was a very expensive area to get involved in, meaning the majority of tracks were of a very high standard as the producers were masters of the game. Nowadays DAW's, Plug-Ins etc are easily accessible to the vast majority of people and it's fast becoming a massively popular hobby or a career path a lot of people want to take. Some people believe that this has made the standard of music drop as people are just releasing sub-standard music. I don't think like that. At the end of the day everyone has to start somewhere and it's from there they continue to learn and better themselves. It's a lot of people's dreams and if they are shown the right encouragement they could end up becoming a huge artist. Who knows. There isn't anywhere near the same amount of money in record sales as there was years ago so maybe labels look at and think by releasing more records they will make more profit than they would if they only released say 4 records a year. That's a business decision and everyone will run their business differently. There's still some absolutely amazing music out there and with more music being available to people I guess it makes DJ's sets a bit more diverse and not so similar to other DJ's as well which can only be a good thing for the people going to watch them. 

The tracks that you produce are full of energy, always maintaining a groove and a powerful baseline. When in the studio is there a certain regime you follow?

I literally just write what I'm feeling that day. I try not to follow a certain regime but yeah a lot of my released stuff are energetic. However I have a load of tracks which are different. I doubt a lot of them will see the light of day though, they are more after party vibes. I have recently went a bit darker and more melodic in my productions to try show my diversity, but again it was to do how I was feeling, not for any specific reason.

Defected is one of the most influential house labels, that have showcased some of the worlds talented DJs. How does it feel and what is like to be signed to DFTD?

Defected are amazing to work with. I can't thank them enough for how they helped nurture me through and the advice and guidance they have given me. Releasing on Defected and DFTD is amazing for me, I have followed them ever since I was a little kid and some of my heroes release with them and play the shows they put on so to see my name in amongst them is an unbelievable feeling.

Here at Egg London, we love having you play, what can we expect from your next set with us?

Ah thank you. To be honest every time I'm down at Egg I love it. It's an amazing club with an amazing crowd and everyone behind the scenes is so nice and friendly so it's great to catch up with them all. After every gig I ring all my mates back at home and be like 'You have to come down with me to the next one, you will buzz off the vibe in there'. I never really plan a set, just go with the flow and see what's working and what isn't. No doubt it will be energetic, I don't seem to play any other way down there haha.

Is there any up and coming DJs/ Producers that have caught your attention? 

I'm really enjoying stuff by Lee Van Dowski, Dubspeeka and &ME at the moment. Not Exactly up and coming but they have definitely caught my attention.

What's your top 3 tracks right now?

Hmm, I could go on forever here there's that much good music about. I'l say

&ME - Woods

Hot Since 82 - Damage

Gabriel Ananda, Maceo Plex - Solitary Daze